Roadside Assistance Management

ABSTRACT

Methods, computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses provide a system for establishing base stations and allocating service vehicles to the base stations in order to provide roadside assistance. The system may include computing devices associated with customer vehicles and service vehicles as well as network computing devices. The system may receive a service request from a customer regarding a disabled vehicle. The system may then identify an appropriate service vehicle to assist the customer and assign the service request to the identified service vehicle. The system may select the appropriate service vehicle based on a location of the disabled vehicle. In an example, the system may choose a service vehicle from a base station closest to or within the shortest driving time to the disabled vehicle. By setting-up base stations in advance of service requests, service vehicles may reach disabled vehicles within a predetermined period of time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/208,883, filed on Mar. 13, 2014 and entitled“Roadside Assistance Management,” which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF ART

Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to methods and computersystems, including one or more computers particularly configured and/orexecuting computer software. More particularly, aspects of thisdisclosure relate to a system for organizing resources and providingroadside assistance.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles, such as automobiles, may become disabled during a trip as aresult of, for example, a vehicle malfunction, a flat tire, and/or anaccident. When these events occur, many drivers and/or passengers willattempt to call a tow truck company for assistance. In some cases,people do not know the name and/or telephone number of a tow truckcompany. This may be especially true when people travel outside a regionthey usually travel. With the proliferation of smartphones (and otherportable devices), many people can now look up the names and telephonenumbers of tow truck companies. Still, people may have difficultydetermining which tow truck company is closest to the vicinity wherethere vehicle is disabled. Even if a person is able to determine theclosest to tow truck company based on its address, this might not be anaccurate indication of the closest available tow truck or which towtruck could respond the quickest. For example, a tow truck companynearest a disabled vehicle might not have a tow truck ready to provideassistance. Also, depending on the situation, certain equipment orskilled tow truck operators may be needed. Therefore, the closest towtruck might not always be able to provide the fastest solution.

A disabled vehicle can be a stressful situation, and thus, some driversand passengers have previously signed up for, and/or pre-paid for,roadside assistance services, such as ONSTAR, services offered bydealerships, and/or services offered by car clubs (e.g., AAA). Despitethese organizations, there is still a demand for fast and reliableroadside assistance. When people call for a tow truck, they would likean assurance that the tow truck will arrive within a certain period oftime, so they are not waiting in limbo. Some, or all, organizationsmight not be capable of offering such an assurance because they do notown their own fleet of tow trucks and/or because it would be too costlyto maintain a large enough fleet. Those organizations that rely onoutside companies to supply the tow trucks and employ the tow truckoperators may particularly have difficulty providing such an assurancebecause the time it takes to find an available and suitable tow truckonce a request for service is received may significantly vary.

Accordingly, new systems, devices, methodologies, and software aredesired to strategically place service vehicles and deploy the propervehicle to assist customers (e.g., drivers and/or passengers of disabledvehicles).

BRIEF SUMMARY

In light of the foregoing background, the following presents asimplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not anextensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify keyor critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of theinvention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of theinvention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

Aspects of the disclosure address one or more of the issues mentionedabove by disclosing methods, computer readable storage media, software,systems, and apparatuses for providing a roadside assistance managementsystem that may organize resources to service requests within a certainperiod of time. In particular, the system may establish base stationsand allocate service vehicles to the base stations in order to provideroadside assistance. The base stations may be established based oninsurance claim information, accident report information from governmentbodies and other organizations, etc. The system may include computingdevices associated with customer vehicles and service vehicles as wellas network computing devices (e.g., computing devices in the “cloud”such as a server). The system may receive a service request from acustomer regarding a disabled vehicle. The system may then identify anappropriate service vehicle to assist the customer and assign theservice request to the identified service vehicle. The system may selectthe appropriate service vehicle based on a location of the disabledvehicle represented by, e.g., GPS coordinates of a mobile computingdevice or vehicle computing device associated with the disabled vehicle.In an example, the system may choose a service vehicle from a basestation closest to or within the shortest driving time to the disabledvehicle. By setting-up base stations in advance, service vehicles mayreach disabled vehicles within a predetermined period of time.Therefore, organizations managing the system may choose to advertiseand/or promise the predetermined period of time for a particular serviceregion (e.g., a metropolitan area).

Aspects of this disclosure provide a system comprising a first computingdevice associated with a first vehicle (e.g., a mobile computing deviceof a driver of the first vehicle) and a second computing deviceassociated with a second vehicle (e.g., a mobile computing device of adriver of the second vehicle). The second vehicle may be stationed at apredetermined location that is established based on data indicatinglocations of accidents (e.g., data from insurance claims and governmentaccident reports). The first and second computing devices may be, forexample, a smartphone, tablet, etc., or a vehicle computing deviceinstalled in a vehicle. The first and second computing devices may beconfigured to communicate with other computing devices via a network.The system may also include a third computing device, which may beanother computing device (e.g., a server) connected to the network(e.g., the Internet). The third computing device may be configured toreceive first information from the first computing device. The firstinformation may be a service request indicating that the first vehicleis disabled. Further, the third computing device may be configured totransmit second information to the second computing device in responseto receiving the first information. The second information may indicatethat a request for service has been received and may include a requestto assign a job to handle the service request.

Aspects of the disclosure also provide the computing devices of thesystem as well as the computer readable media of those computing devicesthat store a roadside assistance management program. Specifically,aspects of the disclosure provide a computing device, comprising anetwork interface configured to communicate, via a network (e.g., theInternet and/or a cellular backhaul), with one or more first and secondcomputing devices and at least one processor. The at least one processormay be configured to receive, via the network interface, a servicerequest from a first computing device at a first location; identify oneof the one or more second computing devices that is positioned to arriveat the first location within a predetermined time period; and assign,via the network interface, the service request to the identified secondcomputing device. The predetermined time period may correspond to anadvertised time period that is advertised in a region including thefirst location. In some examples, the processor may access, read, andwrite data to a particular memory device. The memory device may storecomputer-executable instructions of a roadside assistance managementprogram.

Aspects of the disclosure further provide a method of allocatingresources and handling service requests to provide roadside assistance.The method may include configuring a plurality of computing devices witha roadside assistance manager and/or a roadside assistance managementprogram. Such configuring may include downloading and installing theroadside assistance management program. The method may further includesteps of collecting data regarding locations of disabled vehicles withina service region, and establishing a plurality of base stations for theservice region. Base stations may be established throughout the serviceregion to reduce or optimize the response time to service requests. Forexample, a base station may be placed near a hot spot, where vehiclesfrequently become disabled. The method may further include assigning aplurality of service vehicles to a respective one of the plurality ofbase stations. In addition, the method may include receiving a servicerequest for providing roadside assistance to a disabled vehicle withinthe service region; and identifying a service vehicle, from among theplurality of service vehicles, that is positioned to arrive at alocation of the disabled vehicle within a predetermined time period(e.g., an advertised response time of 15 minutes). After identifying theservice vehicle, the method may include assign the service request tothe identified service vehicle. In some examples, the assigned requestmay be rejected and another service vehicle may be identified. Also, insome examples, the method may include tracking the assigned servicevehicle and re-assigning the service request to another service vehicleif the initial service vehicle is not on target to meet a predeterminedresponse time. Further, in some embodiments of the system, a responsetime of, e.g., fifteen minutes, may be set to respond to customers, andthe system may dispatch a taxi cab or other service vehicle to reach thecustomer within the set response time, particularly if a primary servicevehicle (e.g., tow truck) is not on target to reach the customer withinthe set response time. For example, if a tow truck is not available toarrive at the location of a disabled vehicle, the system may dispatch ataxi cab to pick up the stranded customer with a goal response timewhile a tow truck travels to the location of the disabled vehicle.

Of course, the methods and systems of the above-referenced embodimentsmay also include other additional elements, steps, computer-executableinstructions, or computer-readable data structures. In this regard,other embodiments are disclosed and claimed herein as well. The detailsof these and other embodiments of the present invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the description,drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is notlimited by the accompanying figures in which like reference numeralsindicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example computing device that may beused according to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate maps in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example network environment in which a system inaccordance with the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate flow diagrams of an example process inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate high-level diagrams of example interfaces presentedby computing devices configured according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, methods,computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses are disclosed thatprovide a roadside assistance management system for organizing resourcesand deploying the proper assistance. The roadside assistance managementsystem may utilize data related to accident information, such as whereand when accidents occur, to position resources, including skilledservicemen and service vehicles. For example, the system may set up basestations in strategic positions to be able to quickly reach a largenumber of disabled vehicles. Moreover, the system may continuouslyanalyze resources to allocate resources to the various base stations.

In addition, the roadside assistance management system may facilitatethe collection of information from an operator (e.g., driver) and/orpassenger of a disabled vehicle. Such information may include adescription of the problem, characteristics of the vehicle, and/or alocation of the disabled vehicle. Using this information, the system maydetermine the most suitable service vehicle (e.g., tow truck) that mayprovide the desired service within a certain period of time. The systemmay also generate a service request using the information and deliverthe request to the most suitable service vehicle. Further, the systemmay track whether the request is accepted and monitor the progress ofthe service vehicle. For example, the system may determine if and whenthe chosen service vehicle is dispatched, and provide feedback tocustomers to keep them informed. If the initially chosen service vehicledoes not accept the service request or is not on track to provideservice within a certain period of time, the system may identify anddispatch another service vehicle.

Further, the system may dynamically allocate service vehicles so that,if a base station becomes shorthanded (e.g., has fewer service vehiclesthan desired), the system may transfer a service vehicle from anotherbase station to the shorthanded base station. Additionally, the systemmay generate target goals and predict the levels of service it mayprovide based on the amount of resources available. For example, thesystem may determine whether it has sufficient resources to provideservices within 15 minutes or whether it should only expect to be ableto provide services within 20 minutes. The system may also collect andrecord performance data indicating whether goals are being met. Usingthe performance data the system may identify weaknesses and/orbottlenecks in providing roadside assistance. The performance data mayalso be used to dynamically allocate services vehicles. In some cases,the system may also facilitate billing. For example, where the systemutilizes various tow truck companies, the system may track the amount ofmoney owed to the different tow truck companies.

In the following description of the various embodiments of thedisclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form apart hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, variousembodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural andfunctional modifications may be made.

In one or more arrangements, teachings of the present disclosure may beimplemented with a computing device. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagramof an example computing device 100 that may be used according to anillustrative embodiment of the present disclosure. The computing device100 may be similar to any available computing device, such as a personalcomputer (e.g., a desktop computer), server, laptop computer, notebook,tablet, smartphone, etc. The computing device 100 may have a roadsideassistance manager 101 for performing methods and executing instructionsof the roadside assistance management program described herein. Theroadside assistance manager 101 may be implemented with one or moreprocessors and one or more storage units (e.g., databases, RAM, ROM, andother computer-readable media), one or more application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), and/or other hardware components.Throughout this disclosure, the roadside assistance manager 101 mayrefer to the software and/or hardware used to implement the roadsideassistance manager 101. The one or more processors of the roadsideassistance manager 101 may operate in addition to or in conjunction withanother general processor 103 of the computing device 100. Both theroadside assistance manager 101 and the processor 103 may be capable ofcontrolling operations of the computing device 100 and its associatedcomponents, including RAM 105, ROM 107, an input/output (I/O) module109, a network interface 111, and memory 113.

The I/O module 109 may be configured to be connected to an input device115, such as a microphone, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, and/or stylusthrough which a user of the computing device 100 may provide input data.The I/O module 109 may also be configured to be connected to a displaydevice 117, such as a monitor, television, touchscreen, etc., and mayinclude a graphics card. The display device 117 and input device 115 areshown as separate elements from the computing device 100, however, theymay be within the same structure. Using the input device 115, systemadministrators may update various aspects of the roadside assistancemanagement program, such as rules for identifying locations for basestations, rules for allocating service vehicles and servicemen tovarious base stations, and rules for handling a service request, such aswhat information should be collected from customers (e.g. drivers and/orpassengers), how a particular service vehicle should be selected, how aservice request to a provider should be generated, what feedback shouldbe provided to customers, etc. On some computing devices 100, the inputdevice 115 may be operated by users (e.g., customers) to interact withthe roadside assistance management program, including providing userinformation and/or preferences, vehicle information (e.g., make andmodel of a vehicle), sending service requests, etc., as described infurther detail below. Meanwhile, the display device 117 may assist thesystem administrators and users to confirm/appreciate their inputs.

The memory 113 may be any computer readable medium for storing computerexecutable instructions (e.g., software). The instructions stored withinmemory 113 may enable the computing device 100 to perform variousfunctions. For example, memory 113 may store software used by thecomputing device 100, such as an operating system 119 and applicationprograms 121, and may include an associated database 123.

The network interface 111 allows the computing device 100 to connect toand communicate with a network 130. The network 130 may be any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network(WAN), such as the Internet, a cellular network, or satellite network.Through the network 130, the computing device 100 may communicate withone or more other computing devices 140, such as laptops, notebooks,smartphones, personal computers, servers, etc. The computing devices 140may also be configured in a similar manner as computing device 100. Insome embodiments the computing device 100 may be connected to thecomputing devices 140 to form a “cloud” computing environment.

The network interface 111 may connect to the network 130 viacommunication lines, such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, etc. orwirelessly using a cellular backhaul or a wireless standard, such asIEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, etc. In some embodiments, thenetwork interface may include a modem. Further, the network interface111 may use various protocols, including TCP/IP, Ethernet, File TransferProtocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc., to communicatewith other computing devices 140.

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a computing device 100. In otherembodiments, the computing device 100 may include fewer or moreelements. For example, the computing device 100 might not include theprocessor 103 in addition to one or more processors of the roadsideassistance manager 101. On the other hand, the computing device 100 maybe a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, etc.), and thus, mayalso include various other components, such as a battery, speaker,and/or antennas (not shown). Also, the computing device 100 may be avehicle computing device 100 (either installed by a vehicle manufactureror as an aftermarket part) having vehicle compatible elements, such as aport for an on-board diagnostic connector or ports for other vehiclesensors (e.g., tire pressure sensors, engine temperature sensors, etc.).

FIG. 2A illustrates an example map 200 in accordance with the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 2A, the map 200 may illustrate a locationof a disabled vehicle (e.g., a location of a broken down vehicle thathas requested service) within a geographical region. Different maps maybe used for different geographical regions. Further, the maps may havedifferent scales depending on the particular geographical region. Forexample, the map may cover a larger area if the map includes a populatedcity than if the map were to include a less populated city. On the otherhand, the map may cover a larger area including more rural areas wherethere might be less traffic than an urban area where more traffic wouldbe expected. If the city is especially densely populated, multiple mapsmay be used to cover the city. The coverage area of the map 200 maycorrespond to one or more zip codes, area codes, or other geographicalregion identifiers. Alternatively, the coverage area of the map 200 maybe selected by an administrator or other user of the roadside assistancemanagement system.

In the map 200, each dot 201 may represent a location of a singledisabled vehicle. In some embodiments, particularly when a large numberof vehicles become disabled in a similar location, a single dot 201 mayrepresent multiple disabled vehicles (e.g., 10 vehicles). Also, in someembodiments, the dots 201 may be colored or shaped differently toillustrate a particular period of a day in which the correspondingvehicle was disabled. For example, a day may be segmented into aplurality of time periods, where each period corresponds to one of fourdifferent levels of demand for roadside assistance service, and thus,each dot 201 may have one of four different patterns (e.g., a bluesquare). Alternatively, or additionally, the roadside assistancemanagement system may use different maps for different time periods. Forexample, the roadside assistance management system may use one map forone time period and another map for another time period. The differentmaps and/or patterns (e.g., color and/or shape combinations) providevisual indicators for users of the map(s) to appreciate the large volumeof data. To provide such a visual aid, the roadside assistancemanagement system may maintain a database, including the map data anddot data, and a processor (e.g., a graphics processing unit) foroverlaying the dot data on the map data. The dot data may includeinformation indicating an associated level of demand (e.g., high,high-medium, medium-low, low) or associated time period (e.g., 7 am-11am), rather than indicating the shape or color of the dot (which mightbe a user preference of a user viewing the map). In other words, dotdata for a particular dot may include, e.g., a binary value of “01”indicating that the particular dot is associated with a specific timeperiod or specific level of demand.

The roadside assistance management system may create the map 200 orimport the map 200 from another source. The data for placing the dots201 may be obtained from one or more databases. These databases mayinclude various external or internal databases. For example, the datafor placing the dots 201 may be obtained from an insurance company'sdatabase of claim information. When a customer submits a claim forinsurance coverage (e.g., because the customer was in an accident) to aninsurance company, the insurance company may collect a location of anincident associated with the claim (e.g., location of an accident).Additionally, or alternatively, the location of disabled vehicles may beobtained from accident reports which may be maintained by localmunicipalities (e.g., local law enforcement), large-scale transitauthorities (e.g., U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal TransitAdministration, city transit authorities), and/or other organizations.The location information stored in the various databases may be indifferent forms, such as GPS coordinates, mile markers of roads, nearestintersections, nearest address, etc. The roadside assistance managementsystem may, therefore, merge or compile the different data into one setof data when generating the map 200 with the dots 201. Merging, forexample, may include converting all location information into a commonformat (e.g., GPS coordinates).

FIG. 2B illustrates another example map 210 in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure. The map 210 is similar to the map 200, butfurther depicts locations of base stations 220 (see star shapes in FIG.2B). The base stations 220 correspond to designated areas whereservicemen and service vehicles are stationed to wait for assignment toa job. The locations of the base stations 220 may be determinedmanually, automatically, or by a combination of both automatic andmanual processes (e.g., a general area may be determined automaticallyand an administrator may negotiate to obtain rights/permission to set upa base station at a particular location within that general area). Anobjective of the roadside assistance management system may includedetermining locations of base stations 220 to optimize use of resourcesto respond to all predicted service requests within a certain responsetime. As shown in FIG. 2B, the base stations 220 may be located in closeproximity to areas where vehicles frequently become disabled. That is,the base stations 220 may be located in close proximity to parts of themap 210 exhibiting a relatively high density of dots 201. As illustratedin the middle portion of the map 210, the number of accidents may beespecially great thereby justifying multiple base stations 220. Forexample, there may be a relatively large number of accidents near thecenter of a city in comparison to the outskirts of the city, andtherefore, multiple base stations 220 may be located near the center ofthe city. In some cases, base stations 220 might not be in the vicinityof an area where there are a lot of dots, but rather may be locatedbetween two areas so that it can service both areas. In determininglocations for the base stations 220, geographical distance from the dotsmay be considered, but that might not be the only consideration. Thelocations of the base stations 220 may also depend on the drivingdistance and/or driving time to areas where vehicles frequently becomedisabled. A base station 220 may be positioned, for example, where a towtruck may easily access one or more highways, so that the tow truck mayquickly reach many areas. Determining the location of a base station mayeven take into consideration traffic patterns. A tow truck that canavoid traffic may respond more quickly to service requests.

In some embodiments, the roadside assistance management system maycollect information, such as locations of disabled vehicles (e.g., dotdata), traffic information (e.g., which roads experience what amount oftraffic), vehicle travel times (e.g., how long it takes a vehicle totravel over a particular stretch of a road), speed limit information,and/or roadway information (e.g., distances and/or quality of roads),and prepare the information for presentation to administrators formanual selection of base stations 220. For example, the roadsideassistance management system may generate a map 200, so administratorsmay determine locations of base stations 220 (thereby generating the map210 of FIG. 2B). However, in some embodiments, the roadside assistancemanagement system may automatically assist in determining the locationsof the base stations 220. For example, the roadside assistancemanagement system may determine an optimal number of base stations forservicing a given region. The system may compute the number of basestations 220 based on an algorithm taking into consideration the numberof disabled vehicles (e.g., number of dots) and/or dimensions of aservice region to be covered. The system may also compute the number ofbase stations 220 by determining a number of “hot spots” 230 (i.e.,areas where the density of disabled vehicles exceeds a predeterminedthreshold) within the service region. Different thresholds for differentsize areas (e.g., a lower threshold for a larger area) may be used toidentify hot spots 230. Also, different thresholds may be used fordifferent service regions and may depend on a target service responsetime. Although FIG. 2 illustrates only one hot spot 230, more hot spotson the map 210 may exist.

Additionally, the system may automatically determine a number ofservicemen and/or service vehicles needed to meet a certain responsetime. For example, if a target response time of fifteen (15) minutes isset, the system may determine a specific number of servicemen and and/orservice vehicles desired for servicing a defined service region giventhe historical data representing the number of disabled vehicles in thatservice region and/or locations of base stations 220. The system mayalso determine how large (e.g., how many servicemen and/or servicevehicles) each of the base stations 220 should be. Various algorithmsmay be used to determine the number of servicemen, service vehicles,and/or base stations 220. In some embodiments, an algorithm may usehistorical trends, customer incident rates in an area, a number ofservice vehicles under management, local traffic patterns, specialevents (e.g., concerts, sporting events, etc.), and/or weather toforecast demand for service. The number and/or locations of basestations 220 may be calculated based on the demand forecast andgeographic information systems (GIS), such as maps, traffic information,routing, estimated times of arrival (based on estimated travel speeds(using speed limit information) and distances). The number of basestations 220 and number of service vehicles assigned thereto may vary bytime of day as demand fluctuates.

The methods and software for facilitating roadside assistance asdisclosed herein may be implemented on one or more computing devices 100used in various network environments. FIG. 3 illustrates an examplenetwork environment 300 for implementing methods according to thepresent disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the network environment 300 mayinclude a network 301 configured to connect computing devices within orassociated with customer vehicles 302 (e.g., vehicles which may bebecome disabled), computing devices within or associated with servicevehicles 303, one or more base stations 220, one or more administrativecomputing devices 100 a, one or more service provider computing devices100 p, and one or more application servers 304. Collectively, thesecomputing devices may form a roadside assistance management system. Thenetwork 301 may be any type of network, like the network 130 describedabove, and use one or more communication protocols (e.g., protocols forthe Internet (IP), Bluetooth, cellular communications, satellitecommunications, etc.) to connect computing devices and servers withinthe network environment 300 so they may send and receive communicationsbetween each other. In particular, the network 301 may include acellular network and its components, such as cell towers. Accordingly,for example, a mobile computing device 100 m (e.g., a smartphone) of aperson in vehicle 302 may communicate, via a cellular backhaul of thenetwork 301, with an application server 304 to request roadsideassistance. While FIG. 3 illustrates that the mobile computing devices100 m within customer vehicles 302 and service vehicles 303 connect tothe network 301, it should be understood that these same mobilecomputing devices 100 m may connect to the network 301 even if they areremoved from the vehicles 302, 303.

FIG. 3 illustrates only one customer vehicle 302. However, the roadsideassistance management system may be configured to communicate withmultiple customer vehicles 302 simultaneously so that it may processservice requests simultaneously. Also, although FIG. 3 depicts thecustomer vehicle 302 as a car, customer vehicles 302 may be any type ofvehicle, including a motorcycle, bicycle, scooter, drone (or otherautomated device), truck, bus, boat, plane, helicopter, etc. Similarly,the roadside assistance management system may be configured tocommunicate with multiple service vehicles 303 simultaneously so that itmay assign different jobs simultaneously. Also, although FIG. 3 depictsthe service vehicle 303 as a tow truck, service vehicles 302 may be adifferent type of truck or any other type of vehicle, including amotorcycle, car, van, bicycle, scooter, drone (or other automateddevice), bus, boat, plane, helicopter, etc.

FIG. 3 also illustrates an example subsystem within the networkenvironment 300. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates an example arrangementof computing devices that may exist within the customer vehicles 302 andservice vehicles 303. To depict these computing devices, FIG. 3 includesa view of the inside of a customer vehicle 302 and a view of the insideof a service vehicle 303. As shown in FIG. 3, the customer vehicles 302and/or service vehicles 303 may include a mobile computing device 100 mand/or a vehicle computing device 100 v. In some embodiments, the mobilecomputing device 100 m and vehicle computing device 100 v maycommunicate with one another (e.g., via Bluetooth). The mobile computingdevice 100 m may be any mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone,tablet, etc.) that is associated with a driver or passenger of thevehicle 302. The mobile computing device 100 m may be configured in asimilar manner to the computing device 100 of FIG. 1. Further, themobile computing device 100 m may be configured to execute a roadsideassistance program (or roadside assistance computer application) thatprovides a user interface for a customer to provide inputs to andreceive outputs from the roadside assistance management system. Such aroadside assistance program may be downloaded or otherwise installedonto the mobile computing device 100 m using known methods. Onceinstalled onto the vehicle computing device 100 v, a user may launch theroadside assistance program by, for example, operating buttons or atouchscreen on the mobile computing device 100 m. Additionally, oralternatively, the mobile computing device 100 m may be configured toexecute a web browser (e.g., an application for accessing and navigatingthe Internet) to access a web page providing an interface for theroadside assistance management system. In some embodiments, the mobilecomputing device 100 m may also be configured to collect drive datausing, e.g., its accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, etc. Drive data mayinclude vehicle telematics data or any other data related to eventsoccurring during a vehicle's trip (e.g., an impact to a part of thevehicle, a deployed airbag, etc.). Drive data may also include locationinformation, such as GPS coordinates, indicating the geographicallocation of the mobile computing device.

Although FIG. 3 depicts just one mobile computing device 100 m withinthe customer vehicle 302 and service vehicle 303, there may be more orless mobile computing devices 100 m in some cases. For example, thecustomer vehicle 302 may carry one or more passengers in addition to thedriver, and each person may have one or more mobile computing devices100 m. Or, for example, the people in the customer vehicle 302 might nothave a mobile computing device 100 m or might have left their mobilecomputing device 100 m elsewhere. Also, if the vehicle is autonomous,there might not be any mobile computing device 100 m.

As mentioned above, the customer vehicles 302 and service vehicles 303may also include a vehicle computing device 100 v. The mobile computingdevice 100 m may be configured in a similar manner to the computingdevice 100 of FIG. 1. Further, the vehicle computing device 100 v may beconfigured to execute a roadside assistance program (or roadsideassistance computer application) that provides a user interface for acustomer to provide inputs to and receive outputs from the roadsideassistance management system. Such a roadside assistance program may bedownloaded or otherwise installed onto the vehicle computing device 100v using known methods. Once installed onto the vehicle computing device100 v, a user may launch the roadside assistance program by, forexample, operating buttons or a touchscreen on the dashboard of thevehicle 302, 303. Additionally, or alternatively, the vehicle computingdevice 100 v may be configured to execute a web browser to access a webpage providing an interface for the roadside assistance managementsystem. In some embodiments, the vehicle computing device 100 v may alsobe configured to collect drive data using, e.g., its accelerometer, GPS,gyroscope, etc. As mentioned above, this drive data may include vehicletelematics data or any other data related to events occurring during avehicle's trip (e.g., an impact to a part of the vehicle, a deployedairbag, or other event triggered by a sensor of the vehicle). Thevehicle 302, 303 may have a GPS installed therein, and therefore, thevehicle computing device 100 v may also collect GPS coordinates.

Further, the vehicle computing device 100 v may be a system includingmultiple devices. For example, the vehicle computing device 100 v mayinclude the vehicle's on-board diagnostic (OBD) system. The vehiclecomputing device 100 v may be configured to interface with one or morevehicle sensors (e.g., fuel gauge, tire pressure sensors, enginetemperature sensors, etc.). The vehicle computing device 100 v may alsointerface with the mobile computing device 100 m via a wired connection(e.g., USB, OBD II connector, etc.) or a wireless connection (e.g.,Bluetooth). In some embodiments, there might not be a vehicle computingdevice 100 v installed in the customer vehicle 302 or service vehicle303 that is configurable to interface with the roadside assistancemanagement system, or the vehicle computing device 100 v might not beable to communicate with any of the mobile computing devices 100 m.Still, in some cases, the vehicle computing device 100 v might beconfigured so that it only communicates with the mobile computingdevices 100 m within the same vehicle 302, 303.

In some embodiments, one or more of the customer vehicles 302 or servicevehicles 303 may be autonomous or in an autonomous mode (e.g.,auto-pilot mode). An autonomously controlled vehicle 302, 303 may becontrolled by its vehicle computing device 100 v and/or a remotecomputing device (e.g., administrative computing device 100 a). Thevehicle computing device 100 v may employ sensors for inputtinginformation related to a vehicle's 302, 303 surroundings (e.g., distancefrom nearby objects) and use the inputted information to controlcomponents of the vehicle 302, 303 to steer the vehicle 302, 303.

In some embodiments, the roadside assistance management system mayinclude one or more of the application servers 304. An applicationserver 304 may be configured to receive and process service requests. Aswill be described further herein, when customer vehicles 302 becomedisabled, customers may use mobile computing devices 100 m or vehiclecomputing devices 100 v to submit requests for service to one or more ofthe application servers 304, which in turn may identify an appropriateservice vehicle 303 and direct the identified service vehicle 303 to thelocation of the customer's vehicle 302. In some embodiments, anapplication server 304 may host a website that customers can visit tosubmit their service requests and check on the progress of their servicerequest and/or view past service requests and performance informationthereof. Insurers may also access the application servers 304 to monitorthe performance of the roadside assistance management system. In someexamples, the application server 304 may collect performance informationindicating how fast service requests where processed and which servicevehicles 303 arrived at job locations at which times. The applicationservers 304 may also include databases storing accident reportinformation (e.g., location and time of accidents) and/or insuranceclaim information.

Further, in some embodiments, the application servers may generate mapdata to produce maps similar to the maps 200, 210 of FIGS. 2A and 2B.Additionally, in some embodiments, the application servers 304 may alsoinclude databases including other information that may be used to assistservice vehicles 303. For example, the application servers 304 mayinclude traffic information and route information for assisting servicevehicles 303 to quickly and reliably arrive at job locations (e.g.,locations of disabled customer vehicles 302) or at base stations 220.Or, for example, the application servers 304 may include helpinformation that may be used by servicemen to perform service on thedisabled customer vehicles 302. Also, the application servers 304 mayinclude templates and other forms for distributing to customers toacquire feedback. The application servers 304 may also be configured toreceive and store such feedback.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the administrative computing device 100 a maybe configured to generate, edit, manage, and deliver the roadsideassistance management program. In some examples, the administrativecomputing device 100 a may execute the roadside assistance managementprogram in tandem with a mobile computing device 100 m and/or vehiclecomputing device 100 v. The administrative computing device 100 a may,for example, render graphics and webpages which are then streamed to themobile computing devices 100 m and/or vehicle computing devices 100 vwithin the vehicles 302, 303, which may be used to supply user inputs sothat the user may interact with the roadside assistance managementprogram. In some embodiments, an operator, administrator, or otherpersonnel of the organization providing the roadside assistancemanagement system may use the administrative computing device 100 a tocommunicate with customers. For example, the administrative computingdevice 100 a may execute the roadside assistance program to allow anoperator to communicate with customers (e.g., in a live online chatsession) to obtain information about a service request and provideassistance. In some embodiments, the roadside assistance managementprogram may include a suite of computer programs, including one or moreprograms for customers, one or more programs for the administrativecomputing device 100 a operated by personnel of the organizationproviding the roadside assistance management system, one or moreprograms for service provider computing devices 100 p, and one or moreprograms for operators of the service vehicle 303.

The service provider computing device 100 p may be owned and/or operatedby a service provider (e.g., a tow truck company). The service providermay be a subsidiary or division of the organization providing theroadside assistance management system or a third party (e.g.,contracting tow truck company). Although FIG. 3 illustrates only oneservice provider computing device 100 p, each service provider may havea service provider computing device 100 p. Each service providercomputing device 100 p may be located at a respective service provider'soffice and may be operated by a respective operator (e.g., dispatcher)of the service provider. Specifically, the service provider computingdevice 100 p may be used to receive service requests and assign servicevehicles 303 and servicemen to certain jobs.

In some cases, the service provider computing device 100 p may belocated at a base station 220. For example, a base station 220 maycorrespond to a tow truck company's tow lot (or other place ofbusiness). In other cases, the base stations 220 may be independent fromcontrol of any one service provider, and instead, may be owned orcontrolled by an organization providing the roadside assistancemanagement system (e.g., an insurance company or roadside assistancebusiness unit thereof). In either case, and particularly in such othercases, the base stations 220 may be equipped with a computing device(not shown in FIG. 3) that allows it to communicate with the remainingdevices of the roadside assistance management system via the network301. For example, a person may be employed to manage a base station 220and the servicemen and service vehicles 303 at the base station 220. Assuch, this person may be supplied with a computing device 100 to receiveservice requests so he/she may dispatch the appropriate serviceman andservice vehicle 303 to a particular job.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram for an example method in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. More specifically, FIG. 4illustrates a plurality of steps of a method for providing roadsideassistance. The steps of FIG. 4 may be performed by various devicesdisclosed herein, such as the administrative computing device 100 a, themobile computing device 100 m, the vehicle computing device 100 v, theservice provider computing device 100 p, and/or the application servers304, which collectively form the roadside assistance management system.One or more of the steps of FIG. 4 may be performed by executing aroadside assistance management program and/or operating a particularlyconfigured computing device of the roadside assistance managementsystem. As a result of the method of FIG. 4, service vehicles 303 may bemanaged to provide fast and reliable roadside assistance to disabledcustomer vehicles 302 (e.g., a broken down car).

The method of FIG. 4 may begin with a step 401 of configuring and/orregistering the computing devices of the roadside assistance managementsystem. For example, configuring a mobile computing device 100 m of acustomer or serviceman may include installing an appropriate roadsideassistance management program thereon. Each computing device may installa different version of the roadside assistance management programdepending on its platform. For example, a computing device running theiOS™ operating system may download a different version of the roadsideassistance management program than a device running the ANDROID™operating system. Also, in some cases, step 401 may include downloadingthe roadside assistance management program onto a mobile computingdevice 100 m, vehicle computing device 100 v, or service providercomputing device 100 p from an administrative computing device 100 a orapplication server 304 via the network 301.

Step 401 may also include registering a computing device with theorganization (e.g., an insurance company) providing the roadsideassistance management system. Registering a computing device may includecreating and/or logging into an account with an associated usernameand/or password. The account may be associated with the computing deviceand/or user of the computing device. To perform registration, theorganization providing the roadside assistance management system mayrequest various information, including information regarding a userdevice (e.g., device identifier, device make, device model, etc.),information regarding a user (e.g., name, birthdate, address, insurancepolicy number, etc.), and/or information regarding a vehicle (e.g.,make, model, year, vehicle identification number (VIN), etc.).Registration may also include setting up an account for billingpurposes. For example, a service provider may provide an account (e.g.,a bank account) into which funds may be transferred when the serviceprovider performs a job. Or, for example, a customer may provide anaccount from which funds may be transferred when a service is providedto the customer (e.g., when a customer's vehicle 302 is fixed or towedto a drop-off point).

In some embodiments, when registering with the roadside assistancemanagement system, a user may create a profile. The profile may includecertain user preferences so that a customized experience may berealized. For example, a user may create settings that affect how a userenters information and which types of information may be entered when aservice request is generated. Such settings may be used to automaticallypopulate certain fields of a request, so the user does not have to enterall information every time a service request is desired. For example, acustomer may enter vehicle information, so the customer can simplychoose his/her vehicle when generating a service request. Further, theprofile may also include one or more listings identifying preferredservice providers (e.g., tow truck companies), mechanics, or drop-offlocations.

In step 403, the roadside assistance management system may identifyavailability and locations of resources. For example, the roadsideassistance management system may identify which servicemen and servicevehicles 303 are located at which base stations 220. To aid thisidentification at step 403, drivers may be instructed to indicate theirarrival at a base station 220 (like when an employee “punches-in” atwork), so that the system may receive and store information that driversare available at a base station 220. Alternatively, or additionally, thesystem may poll mobile computing devices 100 m of servicemen (e.g.,drivers) and/or vehicle computing devices 100 v to determine thelocation of the servicemen and service vehicles 303. That is, mobilecomputing devices 100 m and vehicle computing devices 100 v maydetermine their location (e.g., GPS coordinates) and provide locationinformation to the system. This reporting of location information may bedone intermittently (e.g., periodically) or in response to the pollingdescribed above. As a result, the system may determine that three (3)drivers/tow trucks from Service Provider A are at Base Station 1, whileone (1) driver/tow truck from Service Provider A and two (2) drivers/towtrucks from Service Provider B are at Base Station 2.

At step 405, the roadside assistance management system may determine alevel of demand based on time. It has been observed that the number ofservice requests for disabled vehicles can depend on a time and date.For example, the number of disabled vehicles may generally be greater onMonday through Friday during rush hour periods when people generallycommute to work. The roadside assistance management system may seek touse this knowledge to optimize the use of its resources (e.g., ensurethat it has enough resources to provide service to expected servicerequests while minimizing wasted resources). To accomplish this, theroadside assistance management system may set up a number of differentlevels of demand corresponding to different time segments. For example,the roadside assistance management system may establish four levels ofdemand: 1) high; 2) high-medium; 3) medium-low; and 4) low. Each ofthese levels may be associated with a different time and date segment.Vice versa, each time and date may be associated with one of the levelsof demand. For example, on a Monday, a time period of 12 am-5 am may beassociated with a low level of demand; a time period of 5 am-7 am may beassociated with a medium-low level of demand; a time period of 7 am-11am may be associated with a high level of demand; a time period of 11am-6 pm may be associated with a high-medium level of demand; a timeperiod of 6 pm-11 pm may be associated with a medium-low level ofdemand; and a time period of 11 pm-midnight may be associated with a lowlevel of demand. The number of time periods and the ranges of timeperiods may vary. The number of levels of demand may also vary. Theremay be less than or more than four levels of demand. By classifying timeand date segments as belonging to one of the four levels of demand, thesystem may reduce or avoid excessive adjustments. That is, usingclassifications may allow for automated allocation of resources and keepthe system from overreacting to the continuously changing environment.

In step 407, the roadside assistance management system may determinearea(s) in need of support. For example, the system may determine whichbase stations 220, if any, are under-equipped (e.g., do not have enoughservice vehicles 303) or under-staffed (e.g., do not have enough towtruck operators). To facilitate the determination of step 407, theroadside assistance management system may store and maintain a scheduleof which servicemen and service vehicles 303 are supposed to be at whichbase stations 220 during which times. For example, the system may storea schedule indicating that three (3) drivers/tow trucks from ServiceProvider A should be at Base Station 1 at 8 am on a Monday, while two(2) drivers/tow trucks from Service Provider A and five (5) drivers/towtrucks from Service Provider B should be at Base Station 2 at 8 am on aMonday. Such a schedule may be generated based on the map data of a mapsimilar to the maps 200, 210 of FIGS. 2A and 2B. Using this schedule,the system may confirm whether the appropriate resources (e.g., driversand tow trucks) are located at the appropriate base stations 220.Further, the determination of whether an area is in need of support maydepend on a promoted (e.g., advertised) response time for a serviceregion including the area. For example, if a response time of 15 minutesis promised (or guaranteed) for a certain region, the system maydetermine whether the resources identified in step 403 are sufficient tomeet that time. For shorter response times, more resources may beneeded. If a response time of 25 minutes is promised, the system maydetermine that it has enough resources to meet the promised responsetime, whereas if a response time of 20 minutes is promised, the systemmay determine that it might not have enough resources to fulfill itspromise. Different response times may be provided to different serviceregions (e.g., cities, counties, zip codes, etc.), and even areas (e.g.,zip codes) within the larger service region.

In some embodiments, the system may intermittently (e.g., periodicallyor according to a schedule, which may correspond to different timeperiods of demand) calculate an estimated time of arrival based onconditions (e.g., traffic, weather, etc.) and route options. If thesystem then detects that events or conditions may prevent servicevehicles from responding in time (e.g., within 15 mins), the system maytrigger alerts that cause servicemen and/or administrators to takeactions. Such actions may include notifying customers that estimatedtimes of arrival have been adjusted. For example, if a customer requestsservice, the customer may be informed that the response time has beenchanged from 15 minutes to 20 minutes due to current conditions.Assignments of jobs may also be modified in view of the most recentlycalculated estimated time of arrivals.

If the system determines that one or more areas are in need of support(YES at step 407), the system may send a request to one or more (or all)service providers for additional support at step 409. For example, theapplication server(s) 304 may determine that additional support isneeded, and may generate and broadcast a request to one or more serviceprovider computing devices 100 p. Depending on where the additionalsupport is needed, the system may determine which service providers tocontact first for the additional support. The request for additionalsupport may identify the location of where the additional support isdesired and/or a reward (e.g., a monetary offer) for providing theadditional support. The reward or offer may incentivize a serviceprovider to provide the additional support.

An operator of a provider (using a service provider computing device 100p) or a serviceman (using a mobile computing device 100 m or vehiclecomputing device 100 v), may accept or reject the request for additionalsupport. In step 411, the system may determine whether the request foradditional support was accepted or rejected by a service provider. Thesystem may determine that the request for additional support is notaccepted (and therefore rejected), if no response is received after apredetermined amount of time. If the request for additional support isrejected, the system may determine whether to continue to search foradditional support at step 413. The determination of step 413 may bebased on how much time has elapsed since beginning to request foradditional support. If a predetermined amount of time has elapsed (YESat step 413), the system may jump to step 415 described below. Otherwise(NO at step 413), the system may return to step 409 to send additionalrequests for the additional support. Alternatively, step 413 may bebased on a number of requests sent or to whom requests have been sent.For example, if all service providers have already been solicited forthe additional support, the system may jump to step 415.

Returning to step 411, if the request for additional support isaccepted, the system may update its records and return to step 407 todetermine if other areas are still in need of support. If the system atstep 407 determines that there are no areas in need of support (NO atstep 407; either because there were none identified initially oradditional support has been accepted), the system may proceed to step415.

At step 415, the system may determine whether to reallocate resources.For example, the system may determine whether it should directservicemen or service vehicles 303 to different base stations 220. Thedetermination to reallocate in step 415 may be different from thedetermination of whether areas are in need of additional support in step409. While the system at steps 409-413 seeks to acquire additionalresources for the environment, the system in step 415 and the subroutinedescribed below seeks to move around the resources it has.

To make the determination at step 415, the system may determine whetherthe status of resources is within a tolerance and/or whether it is evenpossible to reallocate resources to meet the promoted response time. Forexample, the system might determine that it does not make sense todirect a service vehicle 303 from a first base station 220 to a secondbase station 220, if doing so will result in the first base station 220becoming under-equipped. The determination in step 415 may consider thepromoted service response time for a particular service region. If thepromoted service response time is 15 minutes and the tolerance is set at3 minutes, the system may determine reallocation is not necessary if thedistribution of the resources are presently sufficient to provide aresponse time of 17 minutes (because 17 minutes is within the tolerance(18=15+3)).

If the system at step 415 determines that reallocation of resources isto be performed, the subroutine of FIG. 4B may be executed. FIG. 4Billustrates example steps to perform a method of reallocating resources.In step 417, the system may identify an area within the service regionthat is most in need of additional support. For example, the system maydetermine which base station 220 is most under-equipped in comparison toits predicted needs and identify an area around that base station 220 asbeing the area most in need of additional support.

In step 419, the system may identify areas that would be within atolerance of the promoted response time, if a service vehicle 303 wereremoved. For example, the system may determine that a base station 220has five (5) tow trucks to serve its surrounding area within 15 minutes,and that the base station 220 would be able to serve its surroundingarea within 17 minutes with four (4) tow trucks. If a 17 minute responsetime is within a tolerance (e.g., 5 minutes), then the system maydetermine that the base station 220 could be a source of additionalsupport.

Although steps 417 and 419 are discussed separately from step 415, steps417 and 419 may be performed within step 415 to make the determinationof whether to reallocate resources. Steps 417 and 419, therefore, maysimply include reading, from memory, the areas previously identified tomake the determination in step 415.

In step 421, a service vehicle 303 may be selected from one of the areasidentified in step 419. In step 423, a transfer request asking theselected service vehicle 303 to move to another base station 220 may betransmitted. Then, in step 425, the system may determine whether thetransfer request was accepted by the selected service vehicle 303. Ifthe transfer request is selected, the system may credit an account orotherwise make a payment to the accepting service vehicle 303 or itsprovider at step 427. After performing accounting in step 427, thesystem may return to step 415. Also, if the service vehicle 303 does notaccept the transfer request (NO at step 425), the system may return tostep 415 as well.

When the system returns to step 415, the system may again determinewhether further reallocation should be performed. For example, if thereare more areas in need and base stations 220 that can afford to partwith their resources, then the system may perform reallocation again.However, if no more areas are in need or there are not surplus resourcesat any of the base stations, then the system may determine that nofurther reallocation is needed.

Steps 401-427 may be performed intermittently (e.g., periodically)throughout each day to monitor the status of the environment andresources. In some examples, steps 401-427 may be performed at (or soonafter) the beginning of each time period in which there is a change indemand. For example, if a time period of 12 am-5:30 am is associatedwith a low level of demand and a time period of 5:30 am-7 am isassociated with a high-medium level of demand, then at 5:30 am thesystem may perform steps 401-427 to evaluate resources, seek additionalresources if needed, and reallocate resources if needed.

If no reallocation is to be performed or no further reallocation is tobe performed (NO at step 415), the system may proceed to step 429 ofFIG. 4C. Although step 429 is depicted as occurring after step 415 itshould be understood that step 429 may be performed simultaneously withany of steps 401-427. The system may use multiple processors or multiplethreads executed by one processor to perform such steps simultaneously.

In step 429, the system may determine whether a request for service hasbeen received. When a customer vehicle 302 becomes disabled, thecustomer (e.g., driver or passenger of the customer vehicle 302) maywant assistance. The customer may use his/her mobile computing device100 m or a vehicle computing device 100 v to launch a roadsideassistance management program or web browser to access a web page forsubmitting a service request. After launching the program or webbrowser, the customer may use the program or web page to generate andsend a service request. The program or web page may be configured todeliver the service request to a predefined address. The service requestmay include various amounts of information. On one hand, the servicerequest may include information indicating that roadside assistance isdesired and location information of the computing device sending therequest. On the other hand, the service request may include additionalinformation providing further details, such as information indicatingthe reason for the roadside assistance (e.g., flat tire, engineproblems, accident, etc.), information indicating whether towing isneeded, information about the disabled customer vehicle 302, informationabout the scenario (e.g., number of vehicles involved if an accident,number of passengers in the customer vehicle 302, the customer vehicle302 is in a ditch, etc.), information about user preferences (e.g., whatservice providers are desired), etc.

After the service request is generated, it may be transmitted via awired or wireless connection (e.g., through a cellular network) to anapplication server 304 and/or administrative computing device 100 a. Theapplication servers 304 and/or administrative computing device 100 a maybe configured to monitor inputs to detect a service request. As shown inFIG. 4C, step 429 may be repeated until the service request is detected.If the service request is detected, the system may determine that aservice request is received (YES at step 429) and may proceed to step431.

In step 431, the roadside assistance management system (e.g., theapplication server 304) may determine the location of the customervehicle 302. This determination may be made based on the locationinformation (e.g., GPS coordinates) received with the service request.In step 433, the system (e.g., the application server 304) may alsodetermine the type of service needed. For example, if the servicerequest includes information that the customer vehicle 302 isexperiencing engine problems, the system may determine that tow serviceis desired. Or, for example, if the service request includes informationthat the customer vehicle 302 has a flat tire, the system may determinethat tire replacement or tire repair service is needed.

At step 435, the roadside assistance management system (e.g., theapplication server 304) may identify the appropriate service vehicle303, service provider, and/or base station 220. The determination ofstep 435 may depend on the location and/or type of service determined insteps 431 and 433. In some cases, the system may determine a particularservice vehicle 303 from among all available service vehicles 303. Eachservice vehicle 303 may be associated with a unique identifier. Theroadside assistance management system may assign these identifiers tothe service vehicles 303 in steps 401 or 403.

In some cases, instead of identifying a particular service vehicle 303,the system may identify a particular base station 220 from among allbase stations 220. In particular, the system may identify the basestation 220 that is closest to the location of the customer vehicle 220.Where there are multiple service vehicles 303 belonging to (e.g., ownedor controlled by) multiple service providers at the same base station220, the system may also identify a service provider to provide theservice vehicle 303. Each base station may also be assigned a uniqueidentifier, which may be assigned by the roadside assistance managementsystem in steps 401 or 403.

The system may determine the particular service vehicle 303 byidentifying the closest service vehicle 303 to the location of thecustomer vehicle 302 that is to be serviced (e.g., fixed and/or towed)or the service vehicle 303 that is expected to arrive at the job sitethe fastest. This may include determining the closest base station 220to the customer vehicle 302 and then determining which service vehicles303 are available at that base station 220. The system may compare GPScoordinates of the job site (e.g., location of the disabled vehicle 302)with GPS coordinates of the base stations 220 to identify the closestbase station 220. The system may also use road and traffic informationto determine expected arrival times to identify the service vehicle 303that would reach the job site the fastest. Multiple travel routes foreach available service vehicle 303 may be considered when determiningsuch expected arrival times. In some embodiments, the determination atstep 435 may include consideration of future availability. In otherwords, the determination may factor in the effects of assigning aserviceman and/or service vehicle 303 on the inventory/resources formeeting future demand. For example, if a van can be used to fulfill theservice request, it may be sent (as long as the van can meet a responsetime goal) instead of a tow truck even though it is further from the jobsite than the tow truck so that the tow truck is available for a futureservice request where a tow may be needed.

In some embodiments, the system may first determine a set of servicevehicles 303 that are capable of providing the type of service for thejob. For example, the system may determine that a service van, asopposed to a tow truck, may be sufficiently equipped to provide the typeof service desired (e.g., a flat tire), and therefore, may determine aset of service vans. Similarly, the system may determine whichservicemen are available and appropriately skilled to provide the typeof service desired. After determining the set of service vehicles 303and/or servicemen, the system may select one that is expected to reachthe location of the disabled customer vehicle 302 within a predeterminedtime. This predetermined time may be a promoted response time (e.g., 15minutes) or another time that is less than the promoted response time toallow for a cushion.

The system may use one or more databases to select the appropriateservice vehicle 303 and/or serviceman to respond to a service request.These databases may store profiles for the servicemen indicating whichservices they are trained and/or qualified to perform. These databasesmay also store profiles for the service vehicles 303 indicating thecapabilities and/or equipment therein (e.g., flatbed, wheel lift,service weight (LD, MD, HD), dollies, winch, etc.). Further, thedatabases may be updated to store information that matches servicemenwith service vehicles 303 for purposes of tracking inventory/resourcesand synchronizing mobile computing devices 100 m with servicemen and/orservice vehicles 303.

After identifying an appropriate service vehicle 303, or base station220 from which a service vehicle 303 may be deployed, the system maysend a request to assign (an assignment request) a service job in step437. In some cases, the assignment request may be sent to the mobilecomputing device 100 m or vehicle computing device 100 v of the selectedservice vehicle 303. Alternatively, or additionally, the assignmentrequest may be sent to the service provider computing device 100 passociated with the selected service vehicle 303. The assignment requestmay include a query as to whether the selected service vehicle 303 orbase station 220 is able and willing to provide service. In someembodiments, the assignment request may also include the location of thejob site (e.g., the location of the disabled customer vehicle 302). Theassignment request may also provide a time (e.g., a promoted time) thatthe service vehicle 303 has to provide service.

In step 439, the system may detect whether the assignment request wasaccepted. The assignment request may be accepted by the serviceman(e.g., tow truck driver) of the selected service vehicle 303 using amobile computing device 100 m or vehicle computing device 100 v.Alternatively, the assignment request may be accepted by a serviceprovider (e.g., dispatcher) using the service provider computing device100 p. If the assignment request is not accepted, the system may repeatstep 435 to identify another service vehicle 303 or another base station220.

If the assignment request is accepted, the job may be assigned to theservice vehicle 303 at step 441. Where the assignment request is sentdirectly to the serviceman operating the service vehicle 303 andaccepted by that serviceman, then assigning the job at step 441 mayinclude recording the assignment of the job to the service vehicle 303for record keeping. Meanwhile, where the assignment request is sent to aservice provider computing device 100 p and accepted by, for example, adispatcher, then assigning the job at step 441 may include thedispatcher assigning the job to a particular service vehicle 303. Forexample, the dispatcher may use the service provider computing device100 p to transmit a job assignment to a mobile computing device 100 mand/or a vehicle computing device 100 v associated with a particularservice vehicle 303. Also at step 441, such a dispatcher may also notifythe administrative computing device 100 a and/or application server 304of the particular service vehicle 303 assigned to the job.

In step 443, the system may monitor the service vehicle assigned to thejob. For example, the application server 403 may track movement of theservice vehicle 303 assigned to the job. Once a service vehicle 303 isassigned to a job, a mobile computing device 100 m and/or a vehiclecomputing device 100 v associated with the service vehicle 303 may beginsending location information to an application server 304,administrative computing device 100 a, or service provider computingdevice 100 p so the system may track the movement of the service vehicle303.

In step 445, the roadside assistance management system may determinewhether the selected and assigned service vehicle 303 is in transit tothe job. For example, the system may analyze the location informationsent by the mobile computing device 100 m and/or vehicle computingdevice 100 v associated with the service vehicle to detect whether theservice vehicle is moving, and therefore, on target to meet the promisedresponse time. If the service vehicle 303 does not move by a certaintime after being assigned the job, the system may determine that theservice vehicle 303 is unlikely to meet the target response time. Forexample, if a driver is slow to get the service vehicle 303 moving, thesystem may determine that the service vehicle 303 is not in transit (NOat step 445). The system may determine whether the service vehicle ismoving based on data collected by, e.g., an accelerometer or GPS of themobile computing device 100 m and/or vehicle computing device 100 vassociated with the service vehicle 303.

If the service vehicle 303 does not move in time (NO at step 445), thesystem may withdraw the assignment of the service vehicle 303 to the jobat step 447 and return to step 435 to identify another service vehicle303. If the service vehicle 303 is in transit (YES at step 445), thesystem may adjust its records to reflect the change in resources at step449. For example, the system may adjust its records to reflect that thebase station 220 from which the selected service vehicle 303 is deployedhas one less available service vehicle 303.

In step 451, the roadside assistance management system may providefeedback to the customer. For example, the administrative computingdevice 100 a and/or application server 304 may transmit information tothe customer's mobile computing device 100 m or the customer's vehiclecomputing device 100 v informing the customer that the service vehicle303 is on its way. In some embodiments, the system may provide thecustomer with an estimated arrival time that the service vehicle 303will arrive at the job site. Also, in some embodiments, the system mayprovide a map and information showing the service vehicle's progress onits trip to the job site.

In step 453, the roadside assistance management system may providedirections to the service vehicle 303. For example, an applicationserver 304 may transmit driving directions to the mobile computingdevice 100 m and/or vehicle computing device 100 v associated with theselected service vehicle 303. The driving directions may be drivingdirections from the selected service vehicle's base station 220 to thejob site. In some embodiments, the system may send the GPS coordinatesof the job site, and the mobile computing device 100 m and/or vehiclecomputing device associated with the service vehicle 303 may use its ownGPS to determine the driving directions to the job site. Also, thesystem may send updated directions if traffic or other environmentalconditions might cause the service vehicle 303 to be delayed. Forexample, the system may instruct the service vehicle 303 to take adifferent route to reach the job site due to a traffic jam.

In step 455, the system may detect when the service vehicle 303 reachesthe job site. For example, the application server 304 may determine thatthe location information received from a mobile computing device 100 mor vehicle computing device 100 v corresponding to the service vehicle303 matches the location information of the job site. When the systemdetects that the service vehicle 303 has arrived at the job site, thesystem may record the arrival time.

In step 457, if the disabled customer vehicle 302 is to be towed, thesystem may determine a drop location (i.e., a destination where thecustomer vehicle 302 is to be dropped off). The system may poll thecustomer to determine the drop location or check user preferences todetermine a drop location. For example, the application server 304 mayquery the customer's mobile computing device 100 m to provide a droplocation. In some embodiments, the system may poll the customer whilethe customer is waiting for the service vehicle 303 to arrive, and thus,step 457 may be performed prior to step 455. Also, in some embodiments,the system may recommend drop locations. For example, the system maydetermine mechanics or other vehicle repair shops located near the jobsite, near the customer's home, or on the way from the job site to thecustomer's home, and recommend them to the customer. Upon determiningthe drop location, the system may provide the service vehicle 303 withdirections to the drop location at step 457.

In step 459, the system may provide the serviceman with assistance. Inother words, the system may provide information that may help theserviceman troubleshoot a problem with the disabled customer vehicle302. For example, the system may provide the serviceman with informationfor fixing a flat tire or engine that is specific to the make and modelof the disabled customer vehicle 302.

In step 461, the system may determine whether the service is complete.This determination may be made by polling the serviceman operating theservice vehicle 303 that was deployed to provide service. For example,the application server 304 may send a query to the serviceman's mobilecomputing device 100 m or the vehicle computing device 100 v of theservice vehicle 303. Alternatively, the serviceman may be responsiblefor notifying the system when the service is complete. In someembodiments, the system may track the service vehicle 303 and determinethat the service is complete when the service vehicle 303 arrives at adrop location.

After the service is complete, the system may generate and send a surveyto the customer to obtain feedback at step 463. For example, theapplication server 304 or administrative computing device 100 a may senda survey to the mobile computing device 100 m of the customer to ask thecustomer about his/her experience with the service.

Also, after the service is complete, the system may direct the servicevehicle 303 to a base station 220 at step 465. In some cases, the systemmay direct the service vehicle 303 back to the base station 220 where itwas previously stationed. In other cases, the system may direct theservice vehicle 303 to another service station that might be closer tothe service vehicle 303, that might be within a shorter driving distanceof the service vehicle 303, or that might be in desire of additionalsupport. For example, the service vehicle 303 may be closer to adifferent base station 220 than the one it left to go to the job afterit drops off the customer vehicle 302, and therefore, may be directed tothe closer base station 220 rather than back to the base station 220 itleft. Directing the service vehicle to a base station 220 may includeproviding directions to the base station and/or providing an address ofthe base station. In some cases, the system may provide directions thatroute the service vehicle 303 through an area where there is likely tobe another job. For example, the system may provide the service vehicle303 with a route that takes the service vehicle 303 near a hot spot,where accidents are common, so that the service vehicle 303 may be morelikely to quickly respond to another service request.

In step 467, the system may credit an account or otherwise record thecompleted service so that payment may be made to the service vehicle 303or service provider that performed the service. It should be understoodthat the organization operating the system may contract or otherwiseenlist one or more separate service providers (e.g., tow truckcompanies) to actually perform the service, and therefore, the systemmay include a billing component to ensure that the proper serviceproviders are being paid.

FIGS. 5-9 illustrate various user interfaces generated by the roadsideassistance management system. These user interfaces may be displayed atvarious times throughout the process of providing roadside assistance.Further, the user interfaces of FIGS. 5-9 are designed to illustratevarious features and aspects of the user interfaces and the system, anddo not limit the visual appearance or layout of the user interfaces.

FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface 500 for allowing a customer (e.g., adriver or passenger) to submit a service request. The user interface 500may be presented on any display connected to a customer's mobilecomputing device 100 m (e.g., a screen on a smartphone) and/or thevehicle computing device 100 v of the customer vehicle 302 (e.g., ascreen on the dashboard). When a customer vehicle 302 becomes disabled(e.g., breaks down due to mechanical failure or an accident), a driveror passenger of the customer vehicle 302 may operate their mobilecomputing device 100 m or a vehicle computing device 100 v within thecustomer vehicle 302 to access the user interface 500. For example, thecustomer may launch the roadside assistance management program onhis/her smartphone to view the user interface 500.

As shown in FIG. 5, the user interface 500 may be configured to acceptseveral user selections to generate a customized service request.Specifically, the user interface 500 shows three steps for acquiringthree different types of information. Fewer or more steps may beimplemented in different embodiments. In a first step, the customer mayenter information about the disabled customer vehicle 302. For example,the customer may provide the make and model of the vehicle. In somecases, this information may be used to determine the appropriateserviceman and/or service vehicle 303 for the job. In some embodiments,the customer may have previously stored the information about theirvehicles so that they can simply select which of their vehicles isdisabled. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, if the customer owns a FordExplorer and Chevy Camaro, the customer may select that the Chevy Camarois the vehicle for which the customer is requesting service. In someembodiments, this information may be collected from customers in advanceand stored in association with a user profile of the customer. In someembodiments, this information may be automatically obtained from, forexample, insurance company records associating customers and theirvehicles. As such, the roadside assistance management program executingon the customer's mobile computing device 100 m may pre-fill certainfields, like vehicle information fields, with based on informationacquired from an insurance company database.

FIG. 5 also shows a second step in which the customer may designate atype of problem the disabled customer vehicle 302 is experiencing. Insome embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the user interface 500 may providea listing of some possible issues. Further, in some embodiments, datafrom vehicle sensors may be evaluated to select certain issues. Forexample, if the vehicle computing device 100 v of the customer vehicle302 detects a flat tire based on tire pressure sensors, the vehiclecomputing device 100 v may import this information into the roadsideassistance management program so the program automatically selects aflat tire option in the second step of the user interface 500. Using theinformation collected in the second step, the system may later determinethe type of service requested. This information may also be helpful indetermining the appropriate serviceman and/or service vehicle 303 todispatch to the job.

In the third step of FIG. 5, the user interface 500 may provide a fieldfor the customer to enter comments. For example, the customer may enterthat they were involved in an accident, that their customer vehicle 302needs to be towed, that they would like a rental car, that they wouldlike a taxi to take them home, etc. After completing one or more stepsto enter information, the customer may choose to submit the servicerequest. Upon selecting to submit the request, the roadside assistancemanagement program may generate and send a service request with theentered information to the system (e.g., to the administrative computingdevice 100 a and/or the application server 304).

Although the user interface 500 allows for customizing a servicerequest, in some embodiments, the customer may quickly send a generalservice request with the click of a single key. Also, while userinterface 500 shows three steps on a single screen, each step may be onits own screen and the customer may navigate back and forward throughthe screens. Moreover, additional screens may be used to collectadditional data for generating the service request.

FIG. 6 illustrates another user interface 600 in accordance with aspectsof the disclosure. The user interface 600 may provide a tool forhandling the service requests once they are submitted. In particular,the user interface 600 may be accessed by an administrator or otherpersonnel of the organization managing the system. The user interface600 may be generated by the administrative computing device 100 a and/orapplication server 304 and displayed on a display device thereof. Insome embodiments, an administrator or other personnel may monitorservice requests and use the user interface 600 to communicate withcustomers, service vehicles 303 (e.g., servicemen), and serviceproviders (e.g., dispatchers of different tow truck companies). Forexample, an administrator using the administrative computing device 100may view and interact with the user interface 600 to participate in alive chat with the customer to keep the customer informed of the statusof his/her service request. The administrator may also view and interactwith the user interface 600 to participate in a live chat with aserviceman (e.g., driver or passenger) of a service vehicle 303 toprovide the serviceman with assistance and/or to obtain a status of theservice vehicle 303 (e.g., why the service vehicle 303 is taking solong, whether the service vehicle 303 is stuck in traffic, etc.)

FIG. 7 illustrates another user interface 700 in accordance with aspectsof the disclosure. The user interface 700 may provide an interface for aserviceman (e.g., tow truck driver) associated with a service vehicle303. In the example of FIG. 7, the user interface 700 illustrates ascreen displayed on a serviceman's mobile computing device 100 m, avehicle computing device 100 v of a service vehicle 303, and/or aservice provider computing device 100 p operated by a service provider'sdispatcher (e.g., a tow truck company dispatcher) when a service requestis received. As explained herein, when a service request is received,the application server 304 or administrative computing device 100 a mayselect a particular service vehicle 303, base station 220, and/orservice provider desired to perform the job. The application server 304or administrative computing device 100 a may generate and sendinformation causing the user interface 700 to be displayed so theselected service vehicle 303, base station 220, and/or service providermay accept or reject the job. As shown in FIG. 7, the user interface 700may provide details about the job, such as the location of the job(e.g., where the disabled customer vehicle 302 is located), informationabout the disabled vehicle, and/or the type of service required. In someexamples, the user interface 700 may also display a clock with theamount of time remaining before the target response time is reached orother information regarding the response time. Also, in some examples,the user interface 700 may display an amount of money offered to theservice provider (e.g., the tow truck company) for completing theservice. If the service request is accepted, the corresponding job maybe assigned to the accepting entity (e.g., the particular servicevehicle 303 used to perform the job). If the service request isrejected, the system may identify another suitable service vehicle 303,base station 220, and/or service provider to take the job. If noresponse is received after a certain period of time, the system maytreat the lack of response as a rejection and also identify anothersuitable service vehicle 303, base station 220, and/or service provider.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another user interface 800 in accordance withaspects of the disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 8 illustrates a userinterface 800 that provides feedback to a customer. As shown in FIG. 8,the user interface 800 may depict which stage a service request is in.In the example of FIG. 8, the user interface 800 illustrates that theservice request has been assigned to a service vehicle 303 or servicemanand is in the preparation stage, during which the service vehicle 303 isbeing prepared (e.g., equipped, turned on, etc.) and the system ismonitoring to see when the service vehicle 303 begins its trip to thedisabled vehicle. As the system detects completion of each stage, theuser interface 800 may be updated. For example, a spectrum showing thedifferent stages may be shaded or otherwise modified to illustrate theprogress up until the time at which the service is completed (e.g., thecustomer vehicle 302 is towed to its drop off location). The stagesshown in FIG. 8 are examples, and fewer or more stages may be used.

FIG. 8 also shows that the user interface 800 may provide the name ofthe service provider (e.g., a tow truck company) and name (and/or apicture) of the serviceman (e.g., tow truck driver). In addition, theuser interface 800 may include the estimated time of arrival. Thus,customers can readily see whether the service is being provided withinthe time period promised. The user interface 800 may also be configuredto include links or fields for acquiring additional information whilethe customer waits for the service vehicle 303 to arrive. For example,the user interface 800 may also show the name of a taxi cab company thatwas dispatched to pick up the customer and/or an estimated time ofarrival of a taxi cab (e.g., in embodiments where a taxi cab is promisedwithin a predetermined time, such as 15 minutes).

Aspects of the invention have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, andvariations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occurto persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisdisclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may beperformed in other than the recited order, and that one or more stepsillustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a first computing deviceassociated with a first vehicle; a plurality of second computing devicesassociated with a plurality of second vehicles; and a third computingdevice configured to: determine, based on insurance information,locations of a plurality of base stations at which the plurality ofsecond vehicles are stationed; receive first information from the firstcomputing device, the first information comprising informationindicating that the first vehicle is disabled; in response to receivingthe first information, transmit second information to a particularsecond computing device, among the second computing devices, to dispatcha particular second vehicle associated with the particular secondcomputing device from a first base station, among the plurality of basestations, to assist the first vehicle; after transmitting the secondinformation to dispatch the particular second vehicle, determiningwhether to reallocate resources; and in response to determining toreallocate resources, send a request to a specific second computingdevice, among the plurality of second computing devices, to relocate aspecific second vehicle associated with the specific second computingdevice from a second base station, among the plurality of base stations,to the first base station.